Tres L. Rodmon Credit: TresLRodmon4TampaMayor / Facebook

Tampa’s 2027 mayoral election is getting crowded, and a paralegal who works at the same firm as presumptive mayoral front-runner Bob Buckhorn wants to make history in the race.

Tres L. Rodmon—paralegal at Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP where former mayor Buckhorn is a consultant and executive vice president—told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that long-standing issues within the city, including public transportation and housing affordability, are obviously high-priority for him.

But the 47-year-old is also interested in the city’s enrichment through different projects. Having lived in Ybor City for seven years, he said he wants to “restore vibrance and energy” to the historic neighborhood.

“It has culture; it has history,” Rodmon said. “So, I definitely would like to just build it up, you know—add a shazam to it—but at the same time, still keep the culture we have with it.”

Rodmon—who joins six other candidates in the race so far—said he also wants to take steps as mayor to empower marginalized communities across the rest of the city.

For Rodmon, that means he’s a “no-ICE” person and “wouldn’t have any fear-based policies” in his law enforcement relations. And with law enforcement, the Broward College graduate’s background in criminal justice and extensive legal work has also taught him the gray area of the criminal system, Rodmon told CL.

“I got to see both sides of life with things like that,” Rodmon said. “And I got to see like a lot of people that went through the system. There were a lot of good people that just made a mistake or, you know, were with the wrong people or someone at the wrong time.”

Rodmon believes empathy is essential to good leadership. As a mixed and transgender man, he said his experiences have led him to pursue new initiatives in the city.

In fact, Rodmon is a board member for Gaybor District Coalition, and he also created and starred in a show called “What’s the T Love” at Disco Pony nightclub. The show “celebrates love and freedom of the trans community, specifically trans men,” Rodmon told CL.

“The love and great feedback I have received from my trans community and allies is what gave me the inspiration to go further,” Rodmon said. “I want to be an example for other trans men that anything is possible if we set our minds to it.”

Now, Rodmon has taken his work a step further—specifically, he has stepped into the race to lead Florida’s third most-populated city. And he said he is willing to do it, even with the political tensions that exist across the nation.

“Being trans is beautiful and shouldn’t hold us back even in this political climate,” Rodmon said. “I want younger trans men to see someone like them doing things like this. I just want people to believe in themselves.”

Rodmon said that if he were to win, he’d also focus extensively on reallocating money to Tampa’s underserved residents to ensure they can live comfortably.

“I know the money is there. We have to prioritize what’s important,” Rodmon said.

So far, Rodmon doesn’t have an official campaign finance source or PAC yet. But he said that Luis Salazar, candidate for the 64th District of the Florida House of Representatives and president of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party’s LGBTQ+ Caucus, has supported his campaign.

Rodmon will host his campaign kick-off with a “Meet the Candidate” on Thursday, Feb. 26 from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. at Cafe at 1920, located at 1920 E 7th Ave.

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This article appears in Feb. 19 – 25, 2026.